Art Blogging Contest

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Bach- Crucifixus - Mass in B minor, BWV 232

This song contains four vocal voices and an orchestra...but looking at the orchestra part writen as a piano...

The bass is very easy in the piano part because for the most part it just moves chromatically down using quarter notes throughout the measure for the whole song. The treble line of the piano part is what changes as the song progresses... But it does stay on half notes and block chords..no moving quarter or eighth note runs...

In the very beginning there is motive that is passed from voice to voice from measure 5-13....there is one thing that is modified and it always occurs in the third voice...Instead of having a minor or major third at the end of the motive..there is diminished triad.

In measure 13 the soprano starts to set the text to a new melodic line, and also introducing new words....this then carries through the voices, and then goes through to build a big developmental section....In measure 16, this is the first time all the voices are singing together... from here on out the voices are more active....

Measure 29 is the first time that the words are lining up after a PAC in e minor...Now the words are lining up and the lines are all very simple steps and verys sustained...Measure 36... a HC all ending on the same word....

then in measure 37 a new motive comes in.... which is passed down from soprano all the way to the bass line....in measure 49 there is a V7-i.......ending all voices ending together...The voices then break apart until the last two and a half measures where the words are together and it ends on a great big g major chord....